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Where Wild are looking to upgrade in offseason after Round 2 loss
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- Where Wild are looking to upgrade in offseason after Round 2 loss
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The Minnesota Wild took an important step forward in 2025-26, finishing seventh in league standings before winning a round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
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Although it ended in disappointment — a five-game defeat at the hands of the President's Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in Round 2 — Minnesota has most of the pieces to continue competing for a Stanley Cup.
And as general manager Bill Guerin made clear, his goal is to make the roster even better this summer. While priority No. 1 is getting superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes re-signed to a long-term contract extension, he's also looking to upgrade the group as a whole.
Specifically, he's looking for a star center , something the Wild do not currently have.
"The talk here is always a No. 1 center," Guerin said at his end-of-season media availability, per The Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith.
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"Obviously … we'll see what's available. I can't give you those answers today because we don't know who's going to be available, what's going to be available. This is still fresh. But I've shown you — and our fans, and everybody involved — that if there's something out there that can make our team better, I am willing to do it, and I won't sit on my hands."
The Wild are flush with star wingers, led by Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy . But the center depth is a glaring hole, with Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman currently occupying those spots in the top-six.
In an ideal world, Eriksson Ek would play 2C, while Hartman would center the third line. But, as Guerin explained, finding a center with star capabilities is a lot easier said than done.
"We're in a window now," the GM continued. "We have a very good team. We want to make sure that we don't just open the window three-quarters of the way. If there's a chance for us to get better, we will."
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Following years of early playoff exits and missed opportunities, this is a critical offseason in the State of Hockey. The Wild need to finally make a big swing to address their center depth — and vault them into legitimate Stanley Cup contention.
Related: Wild's Filip Gustavsson gets hip injury update after serving as playoff backup
Related: NHL rumors: The package Wild offered Blues for Robert Thomas this season
